1. Field of the Invention
The instant invention relates to an apparatus and method for supporting elongated members during storage and shipping (“a pipe packer assembly”).
2. Description of the Related Art
Various different supports for storing elongated members are known in the art. For example, Argentine Industrial Model No. 69811 (Serral et al.) discloses a “Tube Support” for tube storage and transportation. FIG. 1 illustrates a conventional tube support of the type disclosed in the Serral et al. patent. This tube support comprises a hollow bar 1 having a series of modules 2 positioned thereon by sliding them over the end of the bar 1. The modules 2 are made of plastic and have a rectangular orifice corresponding to the size and shape of the bar 1. The top and bottom surfaces of each module 2 include a partial cylindrical section 4 that is concave in the outward direction, and a flat section 5 at the end of each module 2. The modules 2 are held in place by butt ends 10, which are formed by bending flat side portions of the bar 1 outward to prevent the modules 2 from sliding off the bar 1. The partial cylindrical sections 4 of adjacent modules form semicircular depressions or cradles sized to accommodate and support tube members positioned transversely to the bar 1. In operation a plurality of tube supports are positioned to support one or more lengths of tubing.
Another example of a known support for elongated members is U.S. Pat. No. 5,649,632 (Terashima et al.), which discloses a fixture for accommodating various sizes of pipe. As shown in FIGS. 1A–E of the Terashima et al. patent, the fixture 10 comprises a plurality of fixture bodies 15A and 15B and spacer members 25 clamped together by a bar member 18 extending along the outer edges of the fixture bodies 15A and 15B to define a plurality of pipe support surfaces 12. The spacer members 25 are disposed between flat inclined portions 11A and 11B of the fixture bodies 15A and 15B to form cradles. Various different sized spacers 25 can be inserted between at inclined portions 11A and 11B of the fixture bodies 15A and 15B, as illustrated in FIGS. 5A–C, in order to form cradles of different size for accommodating different sized pipes. Raised protrusions 30 are formed on the inclined portions to prevent shift or movement of the pipe material. Flat plate members 16 are positioned at each end of the assembly and are sized to fit over the ends of the bars 18 to secure the modules on the rods 18. A plurality of the fixtures 10 can be superposed and held in place by clamp frames 17 with elongated set bolts 19 extending therethrough.
However, there are various disadvantages associated with these known types of supports. For example, when elongated members are stored outside, both of these known types of supports tend to collect rainwater in the supporting cradles, which may damage the surface of the elongated members.
Another shortfall of these conventional supports is that they do not allow complete customization and adaptability of the supports. Rather, the modules or fixture bodies are held in place only by flanges or plates at the ends of the support bars, thus, requiring that there be modules or fixture bodies positioned along the entire length of the support bar. That is, neither of these arrangements allows the modules or fixture bodies to be spaced apart from one another to accommodate elongated members having large and/or differing diameters, without the need for additional spacers or the like.
Thus, the present inventors set out to develop a support assembly for elongated members during storage and shipping that remedies these and other deficiencies found in the prior art supports.